Russia is planning to raise a schooner which sank off the coast of Finland in 1771 with a cargo of valuable Dutch paintings on board, says news agency ANP on Wednesday.

The ship, the Frau Maria, sank during a storm while sailing to Russia with its cargo of paintings, gold, silver, bronze and porcelain for the tsarina Catherine the Great.
According to the Russian foundation for national heritage the paintings could still be in good condition because they were shipped in lead cases sealed with wax. The collection is valued at €100m, says ANP.